Device for preventing ignition of pressure-reducing valves.



J. H. & A. B. DRKGERL DEVICE FOR PREVENTINGTGNITION 0F PRESSURE REDUCING VALVES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE '1, 1909.

979,936. Patented Deb. 27, 1910.

Inventors.

I Witnesses. I

W v I W s 2 1 UNITED "STATES r a'rnn'r OFFICE.

3011mm HEINRICH nnfionnmn ALEXANDER 13-33mm nnZLGEn, or LuBEcx, GER- MANY, ASSIGNORSTO THE FIRM LUBECK, GERMANY.

or nnaermwnnx, mama. & Burma; nnKeER, or

DEVICE ror. PREVENTING lemon or ranssunn-nnnceme var-yrs.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that we, JOHANN. Hrxmmcn Dm'iom and ALEXANDER BERN-HARD Dnionn,

subjects of the German Emperor, and resi-.

sure reducing and similar valves for compressed gases, such as oxygen. x

A safetyv device for' preventing ignition and combustion of pressure reducin valves has alreadybecome known. Sai device comprises a by-chamber or appcndixarranged or attached to the gas passage ata point between the usual screwplug of the gas or oxygen cylinder and the valve plate of the pressure reducingvalve. This appendix has the form of a cul de sac .or of a socket to the extremity of which latter is. suitably applied adpressure gage. The hollow space produce either by the appendix or by the socket, and situated some distance before the outlet opening-of the gas passage, and constructed-to have about the same width as the said gas passage serves as a by chamber or by-corner into which the air contained in the gas passage is pushed or driven by the pressure gas. rushing out of the gas cylinder on opening the screw plug valve of the latter. Although such safety devices have given 00d and satisfactory results, yet the possi ility of ignition and combustion of the vulcanite valve plate of the pressure reducing valve is not absolutely excluded or prevented, because the air in front of the vulcanite valve plate is not entirely removed. This causes a division of the air, one part of the whole bulk of air being driven into the said appendix or socket,

the other part of the air, especially the air contained in the part of the gas passage between the auxiliary or by-chamber and the vulcanite valve plate, being compressed against this valve p ate, so that the ossib1lity of the danger of ignition still su sists. According to the resent invention the above explained disa vantage of the well known safety device shall be obviated by arranging the auxiliary 0r by-chamber Specification of letters Patent "PatentedDec. 27, 1910 Application flied. June. :r, 1909.. Serial No. 509,690.

branching of? from the ga's passage such a manner that the above cited division and partial compressionof the airvolume are entirely done away. 'This object is attained by arranging the by-chamber or its inlet coaxially with the passage through which the compressed gas such as oxygen isassed. so that all. the-air contained in e gas pass e'is driven into the by-chaanber and onlyt e driving means, 2'. 6., the compressed oxygen issuing from the gas cylinder is acting upon or against the vulcanite valve art, whereas the air is compressed in the y-chamber, where it finds no. combustible bod but metal walls -'or'mas'ses which will rapldly absorb its heat.

.In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 isasectional elevation ofthe usual arrangev merit-without aby-chamber; Fig. 2 is a.- sectional elevation of the novel arrangement with a-by-chamber.

All the-valves are shown in opened position and only so much of the gas cylinder and pressure reducing valve shown as is necessary for a clear understanding of the lnvention. In. Fig. l, f designates agas. cylinderfitted with-the usual screw-plug va'lve'g. and from which the gas can pass out through the gas passage 6 which communicateswith a well known reducing chamber 0, of which onlya portion is shown, and in-which chamberis mounted a pressure reducing valve having a. valve part d of vulcanite or ,like inflammable material mounted on one' end of a controlling lever d which is pivoted on a bracket 0 on the wall of the reducing chamber. The controlling lever d is connected in the usual manner to a membrane (not shown) 'mounted in one end of the reducing chamber. This vulcanite valve part at may be considered to represent the readily inflammable body above referred to. In thiscase the compression of the air or oxygen is produced, not by means of a physical piston as in the pneumatic igniter, but by the oxygen rushing suddenly out of the gas cylinder f with great force into the space a and the passage 6. The air or oxygen in the space a and passage 6 is assumed to be under ordinary atmospheric pressure before the inder f has a pressure of 100 atmospheres or more. If now the valve g be opened sud- '105 valve 9 is opened, while the gas in the cyldenly into the spaces a and b and acting as a piston without mixing with. the-gaseous con-.

' tents of these-spaces, compresses thesegaseous contents of ,the spaces a and b. which have been hitherto at ordinarg temperatureenlyto aboutv art of their volume at-the' and atmospheric "pressure, sud one-hundredth farthest end 0 the passage-b, that is to say compresses them at the very -spot where the readlly inflammable body is situated, so

"that the quantity of heat contained in the original volume of the said gaseous contents of the. spaces a and b, isnow concentrated suddenly in the extremely small space aforesaid. Now the increase in temperature which necessarily results according to well known physical laws at that spot is-very great, and canbe reduced only by the withdrawal of heat therefrom by any metal parts of reater or less thickness that may be situater i near the vulcanite valve part. The vulcanite valve part will become ignited with the greater certainty the greater the surfacepresented by it to the heated gas, while its property of being a bad conductor of heat avors ignition. We have found that under these conditions ignition can be produced or prevented at will, and that there is a definite limit where ignition will not take place which can be determined so closely that a slight toughening of the surface of the vulcanite is suflicient to cause ignition with otherwise the same arrangement of the parts.

Fig. 2 shows the improved device applied to the outlet fitting o a gas cylinder containing highly compressed oxygen. In this arrangement a tubular part I). which may be formed in one piece with the fitting, is mounted in the fitting so that its bore 21 forms a continuation ofthe gas passage 6, as near as possible to the vulcanite valve part (5. The nearer the outlet of the part it is to the vulcanite valve part the greater the prothe highly compressed oxygen rushes 'tection against ignition. The tubular part b. may have its outlet constituted by a number of lateral openings [0. An annular air chamber 1 is provided around the tubular part h,'..it serves .to receive the dis laced spaces a andand the pressure conditions. The heated air or gas compressed into the chamber l comes thereinin contact with a large surface of metal whereby it is cooled quickly and safely. -We claim having an outlet passage and a pressure re ducing valve controlling the latter, of a bychamber communicating'and being arranged coaxially with the said outlet passage for radial-apertures, a sleeve formmg an annular coaxial chamber surrounding the-conduit to receive gas discharged from said apertures, and a pressure reducing valve to control the exit port of the sleeve.

JOHANN HEINRICH DRKGER.

ALEXANDER BERNHARD DRKGER.

Witnesses:

FREIDRIGH PLATE,

J 0118. WULF.

compressed; air or gas. The size 0 this chamber Z depends on the capacity of the I the reception of the air discharged therewith closed at its end and. provided with 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pressure chamber 

